I get some wood, light a fire in the fireplace put some water on so I can make fresh tea. For a moment I consider making coffee instead, but I actually want to get some sleep in before noon. Well, I'll try to get some sleep anyway. I'm incredibly exhausted and thanks to the warm bath even a little sleepy, but I'm still not quite sure if I'll actually be able to sleep. I'm still incredibly excited after all.

  Sour cream doesn't seem to share my problems. She can sleep just fine, as she demonstrates by curling up for a nap as soon as she is done with her snack. For a change she doesn't curl up on the bed though. Instead she makes herself comfortable on the windowsill above the bed, where she usually comes and goes. Very curious. Is this a first precaution to stay well out of the way of grabby little hands? I guess we'll see.

  Once the water is hot I brew some tea, green tea and not some herbal mixture for a change, enough for both me and Elzbieta. And if I get it brewing now it hopefully will have cooled down enough to be save to drink around little Ulryk too. He isn't really old enough to be dangerously energetic yet, but it's better to be safe rather than sorry. And besides, cold tea can be quite refreshing too, especially now that summer is here for good.

  I sweeten it a little with honey for good measure. A quick sip for the purpose of taste testing reassures me that it's just right. At the same time I can't help but wonder if I should get myself a special mug I can enchant to keep it nice and cool even in the worst summer heat. Something like that certainly would come in handy. I'll ask Patryk and Maryla at the inn where they get their earthen wares. At worst I'll have to ask Agnieszka to get me something from Barter Town.

  Just as I'm about to head back outside to enjoy the morning sun fort a little while, as I wait for Elzbieta and her little one, the two arrive. The huntress carries the child in a baby sling, tightly secured to her front and judging by the way her blouse isn't fastened up quite right and the way he sleeps contently, Ulryk must have already had his morning meal.

  And it seems that my, no our home isn't her first stop either. She comes bearing gifts. Something wrapped in a cloth bundle. Something that smells sweet and downright heavenly! She takes note of the way I smell the air too and laughs a soft laugh, as not to wake the child.

  “Some freshly baked little cakes from the inn. They are customary around here for the morning after the midsummer night.”

  My smile goes into full bloom. What a wonderful surprise!

  “Then I might just have the right thing to go with those. Some cool sweet tea.”

  Instead of sitting in the morning sun out front we make ourselves comfortable on the bench by the back door. Sour Cream barely acknowledges us with a twitch of an ear. Ulryk barely shifts too, not waking up completely, as his mother sits down at my side. I pour both of us cups of cool sweet tea while she unwraps the bundle with the cakes.

  For a littlw while we sit there in silence, enjoying our treats as well as each others company. There is little else we need right now after all and the nice, warm and sunny summer morning with its pleasant breeze already accounts for most of what ever else we could ask for.

  It's the young mother who finally breaks the silence with an amused tone.

  “So, how was your dance? Did your training and all the preparations pay off in the end?”

  I almost choke on my tea. Not out of surprise, but because I have trouble holding my laughter in.

  “Oh yes. Did those preparations ever pay off!”

  I take another sip of my tea and a bite from the cake Elzbieta holds out for me. Only then do I elaborate.

  “My first dance was with the prince of spring and my last, the longest by far, with the queen of summer. And in between I got to jump the bull. Not just once either.”

  I chuckle as I think back on it. Theses memories are quickly becoming fond ones, even if they are of events that only transpired a few hours ago.

  “In the end I had to do some makeshift alchemy too, to deal with that bull. But I'll let Danuta or Tamara tell that tale. It will probably sound better coming from them. They saw it with the eyes of a bystander after all.”

  Elzbieta chuckles softly, the combination of sound and motion making Ulryk stir a little too.

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  “It really sounds like an exciting night. I wish I could have been there.”

  I hold her cake out for her to take a bite, just like she did for me before, but she greedily swallows what is left of it whole, going so far as to even lick the crumbs off my fingers, which makes me blush in turn.

  “Well, maybe next year? If we have someone who can look after the little man? It might be another exciting dance though. The prince of spring at least suggested that he might try to woo me again.”

  She nods and washes her slightly too big bite of cake down with some tea.

  “Right. Chances are he'll be much more lively by then. His world probably will be more than just the next meal and the next nap right after in a year. And the prince really has set his eyes on you, hasn't he? He isn't too pushy though, right?”

  I shake my head.

  “No, He wasn't too bad. In fact he didn't even try to trick me into dancing until sunrise. Unlike the queen of summer. I totally fell for the just one dance with her. Well, it wasn't too bad either. My enchanted sandals and the rest of the summer night dance outfit saved me. Still felt my legs and feet afterwards like I never have before though.”

  Elzbieta nods, rubbing Ulryks back gently in the meantime.

  “you got of lightly. Possibly because she likes you too. There are stories of the gruesome fate of people they don't care for, you know. People with whom they dance until their feet are a bloody mess.”

  A shiver runs down my back. I have heard some of those too. I don't even want to think about them though. Instead I focus on the brighter side of things.

  “Well, she promised me a pleasant summer of sun, warm rain and gently breezes, so I think it was well worth the risk.”

  She chuckles again. This time around little Ulryk actually wakes up. He blinks up at me owlishly, and I bend down to place a gently kiss atop his head. And while he looks at me with big eyes for a moment, I'm forgotten again just as quickly, as Elzbieta unfastens the strings of her blouse, so he can help himself to his next meal.

  It's hard to believe that he only had his first meal for the day a little while ago. He certainly has an appetite again already. I say as much.

  “Oh my. He's really hungry.”

  The young mother snorts in amusement.

  “He sure is. Enough so in fact that Urszula has to drop by at least once a day, usually around noon, to help me out.”

  I give that some thought and nod.

  “Around noon? So we could get in a quick nap before? I really could do with some rest. Don't even want to think about work before I get to rest my eyes a little in fact.”

  My companion chuckles once more. By now little Ulryk is too focused on his meal to even notice.

  “Just give us a moment or two to finish up here, then we can snuggle a little if you want to.”

  That sounds good as far as I'm concerned. I nod and get up.

  “Alright. Take your time. I need to get changed first anyway.”

  I might sound a little eager, as I'm already looking forward to this nap. Especially as it's a nap I'll not be having all on my own. I'm just that glad to have Elzbieta back home.